Heart Attack In Women: 6 Warning Signs To Consider

A strange heaviness in the chest or feeling oddly tired are often signs of a heart attack and should never be ignored.

The signs of a heart attack are different in men and women. Typical signs of pain in the left hand are not necessarily what a woman will experience while she is having a heart attack. 

What Age Are Women Most Likely to Develop Heart Disease? 

Women aged 65 and above are more likely to have a heart attack. Lifestyle-related disorders can also make younger women present symptoms. Women of menopausal age are more likely to develop risks of heart disease. Improved lifestyle habits have proven to reduce the risk associated with heart disease.

Six Warning Signs of a Heart Attack That Every Woman Should Know

While you may notice these warning signs and overlook them, remember that reporting these signs to a doctor will help judge your current state of health.
                                                    

1. Pain in the Chest

   
   This is a common symptom of a heart attack. However, it arises at moments that may not make you suspicious. Firstly, the pain may occur anywhere in the chest and not just on the left side. Secondly, it will be a feeling of fullness or a squeezing kind of a pain in the chest. 

2. Pain in Arms, Back, Neck and Jaw

   
   This pain can come and go. It could be gradual or abrupt and it may occur anywhere, including in one or both arms, the back, the neck and/or even the jaw. Sometimes, the origin of the pain may be hard to pinpoint but the discomfort will begin and worsen as you exert yourself. The pain may even wake you up from your sleep. Pain in the jaw could be in the left or right side.

3. Pain in Your Stomach

   
   
   

   
   Here, the pain could feel and be mistaken for heartburn, a stomach ulcer or the flu. You could also feel a large heaviness like a huge weight has been put on your stomach.
   

    

4. Shortness of Breath, Nausea, or Light-headedness

   
   A feeling of shortness of breath could occur when least expected, for instance, when you are resting. However, your breathlessness will worsen over time. You may develop feelings of stress when there is no direct cause. 

5. Sweating
   

   
   A woman may feel the sweats coming on even as she sits in a cool room. A nervous, cold sweat without reason is a sign of a heart attack in a woman. Again, this will feel like stress-related sweating and is different from the sweating that comes with hot flashes or after a good run.

6. Fatigue
   
   

   A woman may appear extremely tired due to her multi-tasking nature. She may be handling more than one task at a time and this could make her seem more exhausted than usual. But if a feeling of fatigue occurs at a time when you have not really exerted yourself it may be cause for worry.

What Needs to Be Done Once You Recognise the Symptoms?

Once you recognise any of the above symptoms, treat the situation as an emergency and rush to the hospital. Do not go to the hospital by yourself. You may not be presenting acute signs of a heart attack, but it could worsen along the way and if you are driving, this could be dangerous.

Ideally, an ambulance should be your first preference to avoid delays.

Recognising the symptoms of a heart attack can save your life. Never discount your symptoms and always them seriously.